Why Having Kids Close Together Is Good For Them But Not For You!

Some might think that having children back to back is silly or crazy, but in reality, for my family, it turned out to be a very surprising blessing! Jeff and I did not set out to have our kids so close together, we got a surprise when Blaine was 6 months old and Jacob was on his way! They are about 14 months apart, and they are the very best of friends.


So when we decided to go for #3, I knew I didn't want to wait too long because the bond is just incredible the closer they are. Ok, so fast forward, Quinn is born, we have three little guys, we feel as if our family is complete, and we decide to wrap up the baby making. A month goes by, I'm exhausted caring for all three of the boys, but I'm hanging in there because I know the light is around the corner..just a couple more months and Quinn would be sleeping better, be on a better schedule, etc. Then comes month two, and I feel a twinge in my breast. Yes, a twinge...I do believe it was in the left, if you're really interested. I freaked out! I just knew ....and boy was I right, I was pregnant AGAIN! Right after I got the flaming positive, I raced to my computer, plugged the dates into my favorite baby website to give me a due date. July 09. Wait, I just had a baby in Aug 08...I knew everyone was going to have a great ole time with this one..not only was I going to be having another baby, but I was going to be having another baby before my newest baby would turn 1. Ha! So, the age differences between my little guys are, Blaine: March 05-he is 5, Jacob: May 06-he is 3.5, Quinn: Aug 08-he is 19 months, and rounding out foursom, Noah: July 09-8 months! I know, impressive right. I was literally pregnant for like 5 years!

Ok, now the reason I believe, in the end, having my boys so close is wonderful deals with the simple fact that they are all built-in bestfriends. They will experience their lives together in such close proximity! They play together, they talk with each other, they help each other, they use each other as punching bags, and they are never alone, there is always something to do and they will have that forever! Now, you could be thinking that any family with more than one child has those qualities, but if you watch siblings that are very close in age, you can tell they have a special bond. My boys will never know a time without each other because they were too young! Blaine and Jacob do not like to be separated, and when they are, they ask for each other. When the two older boys are in preschool a couple of mornings a week, Quinn is completely lost and roams the house because he's looking for his brothers! I can already tell that Noah is catching onto the action, as he can now crawl and follows the older three wherever they go in the house! It is a sweet sight to see them all playing together. I am so glad that God knew better than me and gave me my precious boys so close together because I do feel that their bonds are stronger and will remain such for their whole lives.

Ok, flipside: Being pregnant so many times in such a short amount of time is hard on a woman's body! Hormones are constantly raging, and they never have a chance to calm down. For example, I have had patches of my hair actually fall out from the root after I've delivered every one of my children. And, of course, it's always right in the front of my head, right at my hairline. These hairs then grow back from the root, sticking straight up, and they are uncontrollable. Ok, so that's one negative. Physically, being pregnant and taking care of little ones is very taxing on the body! Giving my three older boys a bath when I was pregnant with Noah put me in tears because it hurt my back so much. Then, with each pregnancy, you are more uncomfortable than the one before. I got to the point with each one where I felt trapped! You are stuck walking around with this big watermelon sticking out in the front of you, ..you can't bend over, you can barely lift your children, heck, walking is a challange! I had trouble getting comfortable, I couldn't sleep, I was sore, stretched, grouchy, hot (two late summer pregnancies in a row will do that to a girl), ..my bladder was crushed every second of the day, my lungs were pushed up into my throat, which made breathing difficult...but, the show must go on as I still had to take care of my other children! Also, in my case, with each child, I went into labor sooner than the one before. Blaine lasted until 39wks 1 day, Jacob came 39wks exactly, Quinn came 2 weeks early, and Noah came exactly 3 weeks early and was born when I was just barely 37wks along. When it comes to pre-term labor, things can get scary for mom and baby. It is a bit traumatizing to have a fast labor and deliver (that's a whole other story for another time). Not to mention, the earlier the baby comes, the more complications arise.

Me, May'09 Pregnant with my fourth son, Noah. He came July 2, '09. I had to endure two more months of that basketball killing my back..ya, safe to say, I was pretty miserable at that point.

Overall, if you are thinking about having children close together, weigh the pros and cons. Is having a close knit bunch of children more important to you than the extra discomfort you might feel by having pregnancies so close together? For me, the answer is yes. Though, I do caution you to take extremely good care of yourself, as you will need the extra stregnth to make it through..not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too!